Collapsible container



June 30, 1953 M. e. BURROWS COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 16, 19 51 INVENTOR.

June 30, 1953 M. G. BURROWS 2,643,788

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Filed March 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. M i m-rm Patented June 30, 1953 erms COLI QAPSIBLE CONTAINER Miles Govan' Burrows, Bradford, England Application March 16, 1951, Serial No. 215,894

In Great Britain November 2, 1 949 The present invention relates to collapsible containers.

'According to the present invention, a collapsible container comprises, in combination, a base element resting upon channel members dependent from and disposed below the edges of said base element and provided with flanges formingthe outer sides of said channel members, side walls having outwardly concave dependent hooks at the lower edges and open outwardly convex curved flanges at the upper and side edges thereof, saidhooks being inserta'ble insaid channel members so that, in the upright,

position of the side walls, theends of said hooks abut said flanges to prevent the side walls from falling past the s'aidupright position in an inward direction, and lugs pivoted to each of one pair of opposite side walls to maintain said "side walls upright inthe assembled position.

The channel members at the edges of the raised base element, are preferably of sector-like cross section having a slit aperture at the truncated apex of the said sector. I

The hooks at the'lower edge of each side wall are outwardly concave and are-f a length equal to or substantially equal to the length of thesaid lower edge v The flanges on the edges of the side wallsare curved flanges of generally outwardlywconvex curvature whereby in the assembled position of the container the flanges of adjacent side edges overlap one another.

In such a construction the means interlocking adjacent side walls may suitably comprise lugs pivoted to one of a pair of adjacent side walls and each displaceable through a slot in said one side wall to firmly clamp the side edge of the other side wall against the side edge of the said one side wall. I

The container may include a lid having a dependent flange of inverted J section which, in the assembled position of the container, interconnects adjacent side walls and seats snugly thereon.

A flap may be pivotally connected to the lid and carry a part of a locking device which cooperates with a complementary part of the locking device on a side wall when the container is in the assembled position to lock the lid, and cooperates with an alternative complementary part of the locking device on the base element when the container is in the collapsed and packed position to retain the side walls between the lid and base element. The said part of the locking device may comprise a captive bolt the shank I 7 1 Claim. (01. 220-4) of which is spirally slotted andj the said complementary part of the locking device may comprise a wire engageable by said slotted shank whenthe] boltis rotated. .Thefiap may be mounted on a bar .carriedby the lid and shaped as a handle for the container. I I

I The base element ispreferably provided with corner, pieces serving .as reinforcement members and feet upon which, thebase element may rest. 7

The presentinvention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: V 1

.Fig. 1 is a perspective view of apreferred'form oi collapsible container, according to the present. invention, in the assembled position, 1

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the container in the collapsed and packed position,

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing part ofthe base element and two adjacent side walls,,one onlyof the side Walls sition, and

Fig. 4 is an exploded fragmentary perspective Channel members Ita at the edges of the base 7 element constitute a dependent peripheral gutter or moat around the baseelement which is adapted to receivehooks l-la formed by curving the lower edges of the side walls II. The said gutter is of generally sector-like cross section,

the apex of the section being truncated to pro-' vide a slip aperture. The portions lilb of the gutter act as retaining members for the hooks Ila and abut the ends of the hooks to prevent the side walls falling past the upright position in one direction only whereby during assembly of the container pressure in one direction only on the side walls is required to maintain the side walls upright.

The side edges of the side walls ll comprise curved flanges Nb of limited curvature up to whereby in the assembled position of the container the side edges of adjacent side walls overlap one another to provide the container with corners of double thickness. The side edges of two opposite walls conveniently overlap the side edges of the other two opposite walls whereby the said other two opposite walls are prevented from falling outwardly by the first mentioned two opposite walls.

A pair of opposite side walls H are each provided with two lugs I3 forming means to'retain the side walls upright when the container is in the assembled position. Each lug is pivoted to being in the assembled poone of a pair of adjacent side walls and displaceable through a slot He in a flange Hb to clamp firmly the side edge of the adjacent side wall against the side edge of the said one side wall.

The lid I2 is provided with dependent flanges 12a of inverted J section which, in the assembled position of the container, fit snugly over complementary outwardly convex curved flanges lid of inverted J section at the upper edges of the side walls.

A pair of flaps I4 are each mounted on a bar I 5 carried by a plate l6 fitted to the lid. The" container is provided with a locking device to lock the lid to the side Walls when the container is in the assembled position and to lock the side walls between the lid and base element when th container is in the collapsed and packed posi tion. Any suitable locking device may be used.

In the container illustrated in the drawings, each flap carries a captiv bolt. l1 forming part of a locking device. The shank of the bolt I] is spirally slotted. Complementary parts of 1 the locking devices comprise wires I8 mounted on the inner faces of the side walls and outer face of the base element and extending across apertures 1 ie,

We in the side walls and base element whereby.

the wires are engageable in the slotted portion of the shanks of the bolts [1.

The baseelement I0 is providedwithcorner pieces serving as reinforcement members and ment in planes at right angles to the base ele-. ment. The lugs 13 may then be pivoted to retain the sid walls upright. z

It will b seen that the dependent flange, l2a of the lid is so shaped as to seat snugly upon the curved-flanges id at the upper edges of the side walls. Such an arrangement acts to locate firmly.

the side walls to the lid when the container is in the assembled position, the lid preventing the side walls from being ushed inwardly. 1

A container according to the invention may be adapted to serve various purposes. It may be adapted to form, for example, a temporary cupboard, a side wall of the container comprising a door fur the cupboard. Again, it may be adapted, for example, to serve as a pallet for use with stillage trucks.

I claim:

A collapsible container comprising, in combination, a base element having 'a. contiguous gutter disposed around its periphery of generally sectorlike cross section but truncated adjacent its apex to provideaslit aperture, said gutter depending from said base element so as to support said base element in a raised position, side walls having outwardly concave dependent hooks at the lower edges, open outwardly convex curved flanges of inverted 'J section at the upper edges thereof, open outwardly convex curved flanges of substantially curvature at the side edges thereof, said-hooks being insertable withinthesaid slit'aperture at the truncated apex of the, pe-.

ripheral gutter so that, in the upright position of the side walls, the ends of said hooks abut the.- inside of said gutter to prevent the side walls, from falling past the said upright position in an inward direction, lugs pivoted to each of one pair of opposing, side walls to maintain said side walls upright in the, assembled position, and a lid ,navmg a downwardly projecting peripheral,

'flange of inverted J section adapted to engage; snugly with and seat upon the complementary, open. outwardly convex curved, flange of inverted J section extendingalong the upper edgeof each 

